As the global winner, Kate, who comes from New Zealand, will have the opportunity to embark on an internship in a country of her choosing working in close conjunction with EY mentors and EY Strategy and Transactions teams. Alternatively, Kate can opt to have the expenses of a professional certification of her choosing covered by EY. Clarisse Gan from Singapore and Shama Abdulla Al Hosani from the United Arab Emirates, who were awarded second and third place respectively, will embark on a 12-month mentorship program with experienced female leaders in their region and receive an EY prize pack.

This year’s competition saw a record number of applicants and participants reaching 3,426 and 289 respectively from a total of 23 EY offices from around the world. Throughout the virtual program, finalists focused not only on gaining technical insights, but also on developing broader skills, such as business acumen, inclusive leadership and teaming, communication and influence, problem solving and entrepreneurship. Global finalists also had the opportunity to participate in a simulation of a client case study.